Lost & Found
by TheLadyHilarious
Summary: "Project Renaissance" was intended to free the world of disease; instead it spawned an unlikely family. When terrorists discovered their secret, tragedy took one of their own. But sometimes... even the lost find their way home. [2014 Spoilers]
1. Prologue: Project Renaissance

**Prologue: "Project Renaissance"**

"Project Renaissance" originated in the aftermath of World War II following the discovery of a foreign compound found amongst the debris in Nagasaki, Japan. Preliminary research, mediated in secret by the newly established United Nations, detected startling mutagenic properties. And in the wake of the escalating radiation poisoning throughout Hiroshima and Nagasaki, "Project Renaissance" was suspended indefinitely.

Forty years later "Project Renaissance" was reinstated when a Japanese geneticist theorized the mutagenic compound could potentially be used to develop a genetically-intelligent vaccination with the ability to repair the human body at a cellular level. And so, under the strictest confidentiality, "Project Renaissance" incorporated teams of the world's finest biologists, geneticists, and physicians to examine the compound.

After years of rigorous analysis, four infant turtles were injected with a composite of the mutagenic compound and human DNA.

The results were inconceivable.

Two years later "Project Renaissance" had become little more than a tremendously expensive, top secret _day care_, but there was no denying the mutagenic compound had extraordinary potential. And so another subject was introduced to the project: an infant female lizard they called Mona Lisa.

The next eleven years at "The Lab," as it was casually referred to, had been more or less routine. Hamato Yoshi, Head of Security turned Makeshift Father-figure, had kept his mutant charges busy with martial arts training when they weren't otherwise occupied with schoolwork and their daily examinations.

That had been ten years ago.

Ten years since tragedy had torn their unlikely family asunder.

But sometimes… even the lost find their way home.

* * *

><p>© Nickelodeon<p> 


	2. Ch 1: Lost

**Chapter 1: Lost**

_Ten years ago their lives had changed forever, their world disrupted. And one of their own was lost._

* * *

><p>"Raphael," said Master Splinter, his tone reverent, "I believe it is your turn."<p>

Raph stood away from his sensei and brothers glaring out over the dark, rippling water of the Hudson and trying _not_ to remember why they were here.

_Ten years_, he thought, clenching his fists. _Ten damn years!_

"I thought it was Donnie's turn," said Mikey, sounding distracted.

"Nope," said Donnie, "Leo did it last year; it's Raph's turn."

"Raph _never_ does it."

_She'd be twenty-one now_, Raph realized, _if she had—_

"Raphael."

Raph started, head snapping around to see Master Splinter standing beside him. His sensei was looking up at him with understanding in his huge, dark eyes.

Without a word, he raised his hand, uncurling long, bony fingers to reveal a small white candle.

Raph's breath rushed out on an impatient exhale and he shook his head. "I ain't doin' it," he growled, looking out over the water again but not seeing anything.

* * *

><p>Master Splinter set his other hand on his son's arm, waiting patiently until Raphael's eyes were once again directed at him.<p>

The rare show of raw emotion he saw there tore at him.

With only the slightest pressure, Splinter turned the arm under his fingers and gently set the candle on his son's large, calloused palm.

* * *

><p>Raph scowled at the offensive bit of wax in his hand.<p>

"Raphael."

Raph raised his eyes to meet his father's.

"It is time."

* * *

><p><em>Something was pulling at the edge of his hammock near his face.<em>

_ Raph groaned, cracking open one bleary eye to see two silver eyes peering back at him._

_ "Raphie?" she whispered in a little voice, leaning up on tiptoes to prop her chin on the fingers gripping his hammock. "Are you 'wake?"_

_ "'M now," he grumbled, turning his head into his pillow._

_ "Raphie?"_

_ Raph huffed._

_ "I had a scary dream—can I sleep wit' you?"_

_ "Go bother Leo," he groaned into his pillow._

_ "I can't," she whined. "He's still sick and he'll get his yucky boogers on me!"_

_ Raph rolled his head to the side to frown at her. "Donnie, then."_

_ She shook her head. "Donnie snores loud. Like this." Her face contorted in concentration as she made a few horrible snorting noises—which would have been funny if it wasn't so _late!

_ "So do I," Raph growled._

_ But she was already climbing into the hammock, her elbow bumping his jaw as she settled herself. "No," she said, her voice sleepy as she curled up against him, "you purr."_

* * *

><p>Raph swallowed hard, his throat too small, eyes stinging.<p>

Donnie held out a lighter with a small, reassuring smile, Leo and Mikey just behind him.

Heart pounding against his ribs, Raph looked down at the candle for a long moment—and nodded. He saw Splinter offer a kind smile then Donnie was lighting it for him. The little flame bounced and flickered on the wick, casting a low orange glow against the dark green of his palm. Kneeling, he lowered his hand toward the water.

Each year his sensei and brothers would say something: tell a story, share a memory, recall… _something_. But Raph said nothing as his hand sunk beneath the cool, dark water. They were all unusually silent as they watched the tiny candle slowly drift away.

_I'm sorry_, Raph thought, just as he did every year. _I'm sorry._

* * *

><p>"<em>Move it, Mona!" Raph barked, helping Leo and Donnie with Master Yoshi.<em>

_ There was glass everywhere, the fire a violent orange backdrop, roaring and hissing over the shouts and screams and gunfire._

_ He didn't know what was going on or why but for once he agreed with Leo; they needed to get out of there!_

_ "This way!" shouted Leo, shuffling toward the nearest escape tunnel._

_ Mikey got there first, frantically pulling at the panel and peeking inside. "C-clear!"_

_ "Mona!" Raph snapped, trying to wedge himself and Master Yoshi through the passage without dropping him._

_ "The m-major structure supports are losing integrity," gasped Donnie, nervously eyeing the ceiling._

_ Completely underground, the compound they had come to call "The Lab" was collapsing around them. As if to prove it, the cement above their heads cracked with a horrible, heart-stopping sound, dust and debris sifting through._

_ "_Run!_" said Leo._

_ And they did, their unconscious sensei jostled between the four of them as the ceiling gave way and the tunnel behind them buckled._

_ Coughing and gritty with dirt, Raph heard Leo ask if everyone was all right; he grunted._

_ "Affirmative," said Donnie, sounding dazed._

_ "Yeah," groaned Mikey._

_ Silence._

_ Raph's heart dropped into his gut. "Mona?"_

_ No response._

_ "Mona, if you're messin' with me!" Raph shouted._

_ Nothing._

_ Raph heard frantic movement and suddenly there was a long sliver of light through the clouds of dust floating around them. Following the light he saw Donnie holding a penlight, eyes-wide as he pointed it behind them._

_ Huge blocks of concrete blocked the way._

_ Raph stumbled up the slight incline. _No, no, no_, he thought desperately. "No," he choked aloud, grabbing a rock at random and pulling. "Mona!"_

_ The ceiling groaned again._

_ "Raph!"_

They found 'er!_ was his first thought as he whirled around._

_ But there was no Mona. Just an unconscious Master Yoshi, a sobbing Mikey, a shaking Donnie, and Leo, blue eyes wide and haunted and… resolute._

_ The cement above them cracked and Leo stooped, lifting Master Yoshi beneath the armpit and dragging him further down the tunnel. Donnie and Mikey jumped in to help, shocked and sniffling._

_ Breathing hard, Raph shook his head. "I ain't leavin' her here, Leo!" he raged, his voice cracking._

_ Leo looked up, his dust-covered cheeks tear-streaked. "She's already gone, Raph."_

* * *

><p>Raph woke with a start, breathing hard, muscles tense. He could still smell the fire and dust and <em>fear<em>.

Swinging his legs off the mattress he'd tossed onto a handful of old truck tires, he propped his elbows on his knees and closed his eyes.

* * *

><p><em>She was sitting too close to the TV again, her nose nearly touching the screen as she stared at the muted images of another travel documentary.<em>

_ "Yer gonna end up needin' glasses like Donnie if you keep sittin' that close," Raph grumbled, reaching under her arms and dragging her back a few feet._

_ She didn't fight him off or argue; the whole scenario was old hat at this point: she'd sit too close, they'd drag her back. She probably did it on purpose!_

_ Brat._

_ "Ain't you s'posed to be in bed?"_

_ She just itched her nose._

_ Rolling his eyes, Raph sighed and settled himself beside her on the floor._

_ "D'you think they'll ever let us outta here?" she asked him after a moment, looking up at him._

_ Raph shrugged, leaning back on his hands. "Dunno. We ain't exactly the Brady Bunch."_

_ She snorted, turning back to the screen. "So, would you be Marcia?"_

_ Scowling, Raph pinched her tail and she squeaked._

_ They watched the landscapes on the TV change from lush, South American rain forests to the urban concrete of New York City in companionable silence before she spoke again, her voice small and quiet, "I don't wanna stay here forever."_

_ Raph frowned. "Yeah," he whispered, "me neither."_

* * *

><p>Running a hand over his head, Raph got up, mechanically making his way to the dojo.<p>

_It was always like this!_ he thought an hour later, frustration and rage propelling his fists even harder into the punching bag. Every damn year since that night, they gathered under the docks to light a candle and set it adrift in her memory.

To honor her? Remember?

Raph hit the punching bag again.

Raph had refused each year it was his turn, not because he didn't miss her—

Breathing hard, he pressed his forehead to the cracked leather of the bag and closed his eyes.

Raph had refused each year because lighting that stupid candle and watching it float away was like accepting she was really _lost_.

* * *

><p>© Nickelodeon<p> 


	3. Ch 2: April

**Chapter 2: April**

_They'd been caught! Donnie had never heard of reporter April O'Neil, and after watching a few of her "reports" he knew why. But she was the first human any of them had come in contact with in years and she'd managed to take their picture. Her fainting had been less-than flattering, though it had simplified the photo issue. But now Donnie worried her curiosity, despite their warnings, was going to get them all in trouble._

* * *

><p><em>What a night!<em> thought Donnie, taking off his glasses to rub his tired eyes.

Their first human contact in ten years and it _would_ be just their luck she turned out to be a reporter.

Donnie sighed, squinting at the monitor currently displaying real-time feed from April O'Neil's personal laptop. She'd been online for—he glanced at the time—almost four hours, Googling things like "mutant turtles" and "ninja turtles" and "_talking turtles_," of all things. And Donnie couldn't help but wonder what she expected to find. Other _sightings_? A family blog with a grinning photo of four mutant turtles and their origin story?

He smirked.

What this _April O'Neil_ didn't know was her search terminology had alerted the United Nations and would likely instigate an investigation. Standard procedure. After all, "Project Renaissance" had been highly classified. Even the families of the scientists that had died had been given little more than a compensation check and a body.

And they had _all_ died.

The terrorist attack on "The Lab" had been a massacre and the United Nations had judiciously elected to sweep the whole debacle under the carpet. Fewer political repercussions that way, he supposed.

But an investigation with an actual eyewitness was potentially problematic.

Donnie sighed again, leaning back in his chair as he contemplated the best way to apprise Master Splinter and his brothers of this latest development… without inciting a mutant revolution.

* * *

><p><em>Donnie hummed, pushing his glasses up as he shook his head. "You don't want to do that."<em>

_ Mona frowned down at the chess board._

_ Leo smiled indulgently, leaning back in his seat._

_ Grudgingly, Mona replaced the king and moved the knight._

_ Donnie snorted. "And you _can't_ do that."_

_ "Why _not_?"_

_ Leo chuckled._

_ "Because the knight can only move like this," Donnie explained, pointing at the board._

_ "That's dumb! Why would a horse parallel park?"_

_ Leo laughed out loud and Donnie chuckled._

_ Mona pouted._

_ With a final snort, Donnie readjusted his glasses again before shooting a sly look at his older brother and moving a rook. "Check mate."_

_ Leo's amusement evaporated and he sat up._

_ Mona blinked at the board, a slow grin stretching across her face. "I win?"_

_ Donnie bit his lip as Leo raised a disgruntled eyebrow in his direction._

"_Yes, you win," said Donnie, making a valiant effort not to smirk._

_ With a wicked chortle, Mona leapt to her feet. "In yo face!" she said, in a decidedly Raph-like manner, before scurrying away._

_ "Really?" said Leo when she was gone._

_ Donnie offered an apologetic smile and a shrug. "Sorry."_

_ "She's not going to learn that way," Leo told him, obviously struggling to contain his own competitive nature._

_ Donnie laughed, he couldn't help himself. "You're just upset she's not as easy to beat as Raph and Mikey."_

_ "RAPH, GUESS WHAT? I TOTALLY KICKED LEO'S BUTT IN CHESS!"_

_ Leo frowned and Donnie hid his grin behind a hand._

* * *

><p>Donnie started awake and sat up, blinking at the glow of monitors before him; it had been <em>years<em> since he'd dreamt of Mona Lisa! His heart ached in his chest and he frowned as he thought about the floating candle Raph had placed in the Hudson nearly three months ago.

Raph had taken Mona's loss the hardest. He'd refused to participate in her annual memorial ceremony. And he had never fully recovered.

Donnie suspected he felt responsible for her death, which was ridiculous. But then, there was a lot about Raph he didn't understand… or try to.

But that night on the Hudson—it was like Raph had cast a piece of himself off with that tiny candle.

With a long sigh, Donnie found his glasses and put them on, casting a wistful glance at the knight chess piece stuck to the top of one of his monitors, before heading to bed.

* * *

><p>Donnie felt guilty as he watched April O'Neil gather the last of her belongings, eyes bloodshot and tear-stained. It had been a relatively simple matter of hacking into the channel 6 building's surveillance system to keep an eye on her. And while he admired her tenacity, he was equally grateful for the skeptical nature of human beings—particularly her editor's.<p>

_Six foot talking turtles._

Donnie grimaced.

"Donnie!" Mikey draped a friendly arm over his older brother's shoulders. "Bro, I need a fave."

Pushing him away, Donnie looked at his little brother and narrowed his eyes.

He looked guilty.

Mikey smiled, showing _way_ too many teeth.

"MIKEY!"

Donnie jumped; Raph was so loud he would swear his computer monitors shuddered. "What'd you do?"

"Okay, so Raph _may_ need you to whip up a little something that'll loosen up some ill-placed super glue," Mikey quickly explained with a wince.

Donnie raised an eyebrow. "_How_ ill-placed?"

There was a loud _crash_ followed by an even louder expletive.

Mikey grinned guiltily. "Well—" He stopped when he noticed April on the monitor and shoved Donnie out of the way. "Dude, what'd you do to her?"

Donnie frowned. "Nothing! I—" He stuttered to a halt when Raph stepped directly behind Mikey, looking formidable with both hands awkwardly gripping a long, metal bar.

"I dunno, dude," Mikey was saying, leaning close to the screen. "Maybe we should check up on her. Y'know, make sure she's okay." He stepped back again and his shell bumped into Raph's plastron. With an undignified squeak, he whirled around.

Looking at the bar, Donnie blinked, realizing it was the weight bench bar, sans the weights. _That would explain the crash_, he thought.

"Dude, Raph!" said Mikey, feigning innocence and playfully slapping his older brothers bulging bicep. "What's up, man?"

Raph moved forward, despite Donnie's objections, and pinned Mikey against the panel of monitors, pressing the metal bar against Mikey's throat. "Get. It. Off."

"Donnie?" Mikey choked, glancing at Donnie with a hopeful smile.

Rolling his eyes, Donnie nodded, accepting the inevitable hour or more in the less-than-cordial company of his older brother.

* * *

><p>"Do you think the U.N. will take her seriously?" Leo asked when Donnie had finished articulating his concerns of an impending U.N. investigation.<p>

Donnie shook his head, readjusting his glasses. "I don't know." He looked at Master Splinter, who looked thoughtful.

"Hang on," Raph barked impatiently, shaking his head. "You're sayin' this chick is still a threat?"

"She's already tried to convince her editor—" Donnie started, to which Raph snorted derisively. "Who fired her."

Leo winced.

"So what, we're just gonna let'er keep yackin'?" Raph growled.

"The fact that she's a reporter—" Leo started.

"And determined," Donnie added.

"And _hot_," said Mikey. "Ow!"

"—is definitely a concern," Leo concluded, eyeing Mikey who was rubbing the back of his head and glaring at Raph.

"We must be cautious," said Master Splinter at last, "and remain vigilant."

Donnie nodded and Leo bowed.

"I'll take first watch," Mikey offered, waggling his eyebrows. "_Ow_!"

* * *

><p>Adjusting his glasses, Donnie debated whether or not to call it a night. He glanced at the bank of monitors; April O'Neil had been scrolling through the search results for "New York vigilantes" for over an hour.<p>

_At least she's not searching "talking turtles" anymore_, he thought wearily.

Then something caught his eye.

Frowning, he leaned closer to the screen, typing in a few commands to verify his suspicions.

He swore.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, Donnie had dragged everyone, sleepy-eyed and crabby, out of bed.<p>

"Th'hell, Don?" Raph grumbled.

Mikey yawned. "Where's th'fire?"

But Master Splinter and Leo could tell something was wrong.

"What is it, Donatello?"

Donnie pointed at a screen.

Mikey raised an eyebrow when he didn't elaborate and leaned closer to the monitor. "It's a Google account," he observed aloud. "User _AOneil_." Grinning, he looked up at his brother. "Donnie, you dog!"

With an impatient huff, Raph shoved him back. "What the hell are we lookin' at, Donnie?"

Donnie swallowed hard, eyes wider than usual behind his glasses. "I-I was monitoring her, making sure she didn't say anything," he started.

Leo nodded. "Like we'd discussed earlier."

"Right." At a loss for words, he jabbed a finger at another screen currently filled with scrolling ones and zeros.

"The Matrix?" Mikey guessed, confused.

"It's another hack," choked Donnie. "Not the U.N. but someone definitely interested in her current search criteria."

"Well we are pretty irresistible," quipped Mikey.

"Shuddup," Raph growled.

"Who?" asked Leo.

Looking helpless, Donnie shrugged. "I don't know, but whoever they are, they're good. And they're close enough to be a threat."

"They are in New York," said Master Splinter.

Swallowing again, Donnie nodded. "Manhattan."

"You think this April O'Neil," said Leo, nodding at the screen, "is in danger."

It wasn't a question, but Donnie nodded all the same. "I do."

"How do you know it ain't just some spyware or somethin'?"

Donnie blinked at Raph.

Raph just scowled back at him, waiting.

"W-well," stuttered Donnie, caught off guard that _Raph_ had made the comment, "because it's attached to the U.N. coding."

Blank stares all around.

Donnie sighed. "It only appeared after she started Googling _mutant turtles_."

"Dudes," cried Mikey, grinning, "my girl is looking for me!"

Ignoring his little brother, Leo turned to Master Splinter. "What should we do? Set up some kind of surveillance; keep an eye on her?"

"We're already doing that," Donnie interjected. "I have access to her phone, her computer. Whoever she talks to, wherever she goes, I know." Looking at Master Splinter he continued, "Terrorists eliminated _everything_ at The Lab ten years ago. Even with the limited information she has, she could be in danger from the same people."

"Wait, now you want us to _save_ her?" growled Raph.

"We can't just leave her unprotected, Raph," Leo argued.

"Like hell, we can't," Raph snapped back. "Master Splinter, this chick's trouble!"

All eyes were on Master Splinter.

"Bring her here," he said slowly after a moment, before eyeing Raphael. "With care."

Raph grunted noncommittally.

* * *

><p>© Nickelodeon<p> 


	4. Ch 3: Taken

**Chapter 3: Taken**

_April O'Neil's life may be in danger, and whether they liked it or not (which Raph most certainly did _NOT_), they were the only ones who could protect her. But after a ten-year social hiatus, convincing her to trust them may not be as easy as they'd like._

* * *

><p><em>"The effects should dissipate within—"<em>

"Aaaaaahhhhhhh!"

_ Leo and his brothers started as Mona raced down the corridor, a flash of pink and green._

_ The doctor speaking to Master Yoshi winced, tugging guiltily at the lapels of his white lab coat. "—within a few—"_

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

_ Mona ran by again, arms flailing._

_ "—_hours!_" the doctor shouted._

* * *

><p><em>Two hours later, Leo sat wide-eyed on the floor beside his brothers, watching Mona run laps around them, arms out in front of her, giggling incessantly.<em>

_ "Is she okay?" Leo asked._

_ Master Yoshi just frowned as Mona hurtled past him, cackling all the while._

_ "What'd they do to 'er?" Raph growled._

_ "Least she's not screaming anymore," Mikey groaned._

* * *

><p>"<em>Go on, now go!" Mona sang. "Walk out the door! Just turn around now! 'Cause you're not welcome anymore!"<em>

_ Raph groaned impatiently._

_ Mikey grunted in response from his spot on the floor._

_ Donnie continued to snore._

"_Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and _DIE? OH NO, NOT I! I WILL SURVIVE!"

_Leo winced and Donnie started with a snort._

_ It was going on five hours since Mona had returned from her evening checkup and almost two hours since she'd started singing._

If you could call it that_, Leo thought wearily._

_Bedtime had come and gone and, with the exception of Donnie, Leo and his brothers hadn't even tried to sleep as Mona continued to bounce around and screech every song she knew at the top of her lungs._

"_Everybody was Kung Fu fighting!"_

_Leo swallowed his own groan. _Not again_, he thought._

"_I say we tranq 'er!" Raph grumbled._

_Mikey raised his head off his arms. "Can we do that?"_

"_No," said Master Yoshi, not even bothering to open his eyes._

_Raph growled irritably and Mikey's head dropped onto his arms again._

_Glancing at Master Yoshi, Leo wondered how he could actually meditate with all the noise!_

* * *

><p><em>Something dropped into his lap and Leo started awake. Donnie was snoring behind him and Raph appeared to be drooling on Mikey's shell. But it was the little body curling up on his lap that had woken him.<em>

_ Looking exhausted but still humming, Mona hugged her tail, using it to pillow her head, before sticking her thumb in her mouth._

_ Leo smiled sleepily, pulling her close before drifting back to sleep._

* * *

><p>"Sooo, what's the plan?" asked Mikey conversationally when they'd reached the roof of April O'Neil's apartment building. "We just gonna crash in there with a 'Heeeere's Johnny!' and grab 'er? 'Cause I'm thinkin' that's not gonna go over too well."<p>

"Ya think?" Raph growled, rolling his eyes.

Leo was having an unusually hard time focusing. He didn't dream of Mona Lisa very often but when he did it was always the same memory, the same moment. He would wake and still hear her humming "Ring My Bell," could still feel her curled against his plastron.

Trusting him to keep her safe.

"_I ain't leavin' her here, Leo!" Raph shouted, his voice cracking._

"Leo?"

Leo shook his head and looked at Donnie. "Yeah?"

Donnie chewed his lip, consulting the portable computer strapped to his forearm. "She's on the seventh floor—so five floors down. And assuming she has her phone near her, the GPS locator, in comparison to the building schematics on file with the city, indicate she's nearest a window on the east side of the structure."

Leo nodded and he and Raph started toward the east edge of the roof.

"Dude, did you even take a breath just then?" quipped Mikey.

_Mona had slept for nearly two days straight and Raph had spent most of it in the _hashi_ after punching her doctor._

"Uh, potential complication," Donnie called across the roof.

Raph growled and Leo paused, both looking around at their brother.

Mikey raised his hands. "Not my fault."

Leo smirked.

Ignoring their little brother, Donnie looked up with a guilty expression. "According to her rental agreement, she has a roommate."

"Is she hot?" asked Mikey.

Donnie shot him an exasperated look. "It's a contract not a Facebook profile."

Mikey shrugged.

"Dumbass," Raph muttered, shaking his head.

Leo looked at his brother.

"_I ain't doin' it," Raph growled, his expression guarded. But the stark emotion in his eyes as Master Splinter offered him the candle—_

"Dudes, why don't we just call her?" Mikey suggested, pulling Leo out of his reverie. "Tell her to meet us on the roof?"

Raph snorted.

Leo shook his head slowly. "I don't—"

"Actually," Donnie interrupted thoughtfully, "that's not a bad idea."

Leo and Raph stared at him.

Mikey grinned.

Donnie explained. "The fire escape is next to the main living area," he said, "which means we risk running into her roommate; it's also on the north side of the building. The east side, where she is currently, is over the street."

Leo sighed, nodding.

"You really think she's gonna just pop up here to chat after last night?" Raph asked while Donnie made the call.

Leo shrugged. "Not _all_ of us threatened her until she fainted."

Raph snorted. "Pretty sure it was Mikey's ugly mug."

They grinned at each other in a rare moment of comradery.

"Dudes, how do I look?" said Mikey, obviously not listening as he struck a particularly ridiculous pose.

Leo just stared at him.

Raph pushed him over.

"April!" said Donnie suddenly. "It's Donatello! Uh, turtle? Four eyes?"

"Dude!" Mikey hopped to his feet and scrambled over. "Dude, lemme talk to 'er!"

Frowning, Donnie backed away, shaking his head. "We told you we'd find you."

Raph grabbed Mikey's shell.

"April!"

"Meet us on the roof of your apartment building," Donnie continued, scowling at his little brother. "Uh, in five minutes."

"It's me, girl!" Mikey called.

"And come alone," Donnie added, "O-or else we're—uh, you shall be punished… and stuff?" He quickly ended the call with a wince before looking up at his brothers.

Raph had his hand over Mikey's mouth but he was almost grinning. "'You shall be punished'?"

Leo chuckled. "'And stuff.'"

Donnie groaned, head dropping forward.

Mikey finally managed to get free and quickly bounced away from his older brother. "Seriously, dudes," he said after a moment, "how do I look?"

* * *

><p>"Sometimes I think you were exposed to Neanderthal DNA," Donnie grumbled as they made their way back to the lair, April dangling over Raph's shoulder, a cloth sack over her head.<p>

"The sack was Leo's idea," said Raph, sounding amused.

"Grabbing her off the ladder before we had a chance to explain was _not_ my idea," Leo argued over his shoulder, still angry. _Leave it to Raph to botch something so simple_, he thought irritably.

"What the hell's there to explain?" Raph snapped back. "We told 'er to drop it, she didn't. Now she's gonna play by our rules."

The woman in question whimpered.

Exasperated, Donnie huffed. "Would you stop saying things that make it sound like we're going to tie a weight to her ankle and drop her in the East River?"

Raph chuckled darkly while Donnie seemed to realize what he said and immediately started to backpedal.

"Uh, b-because we're not!" he quickly reassured her. "W-we just wanna talk."

"Dude, I wanna hold 'er!" said Mikey.

"No!"

"Absolutely not!"

"You almost dropped her comin' down the fire escape!" Raph growled.

"Did not! I totally didn't almost drop you, angelcakes. Promise."

Leo rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>"Oh, <em>come on<em>!" Raph roared at the ceiling, stomping away impatiently.

Leo gently lowered the unconscious woman to the floor. "At least we caught her this time," he said ruefully.

Master Splinter smirked, despite himself.

"More importantly," said Donnie, kneeling beside Leo with a look of concern, "she'll be safe here until we can figure out who's monitoring classified information."

Shaking his head, Raph paced back and swore, hissing when Splinter's tail snapped him in the leg.

Mikey sauntered in with a six-pack of Orange Crush and a grin that immediately withered when he saw April. "Dudes!" he cried, tossing the soda cans and sliding into Donnie, who knocked heads with Leo. "What'd you do?"

"Son of a—_ow_!" growled Raph when the six-pack clocked him in the back of the head and Master Splinter snapped him again before he could curse.

"Mikey!" groaned Leo at the same time Donnie mumbled an irritated, "Ow!"

"I'm afraid the fault is mine," said Master Splinter, his tone amused.

"Oh." Mikey glanced at their sensei and grinned. "Kinda like Raph and cockroaches."

But Raph wasn't listening as he picked up the Orange Crush. "Where the hell'd you find these?" he snapped, side-stepping Splinter's tail.

* * *

><p>"If she doesn't quit jumpin' every time we move, I'm gonna break something," Raph muttered under his breath, grabbing an ice pack from the freezer while Leo made tea.<p>

"Give her a break, Raph," sighed Leo. "It's a lot to take in."

"It's insulting," he snapped back.

Leo smirked as Raph pressed the ice pack to the back of his skull. "Gotcha good, huh?"

Raph grunted. "Miserable punk's been hiding my Orange Crush. I should skin 'im!"

Leo chuckled, he couldn't help himself. "Yeah, because Orange Crush is totally the priority right now."

Raph scowled. "How 'bout I chuck a six-pack atcher head and you tell me what your _priorities_ are?"

Still smiling, Leo shook his head. "No, thanks."

"Then shut-the-hell—"

An alarm over the stove cut him off, then another started to squeal and Donnie raced by, shouting, "We have a perimeter breach!"

* * *

><p>© Nickelodeon<p> 


	5. Ch 4: Found

**Chapter 4: Found**

_The Foot Clan had found them! Mikey wasn't sure how and he didn't really care; that was Donnie's department. All Mikey wanted was a pizza all to himself, some of Raph's Orange Crush, and about two weeks of lazy, movie-watching, April-cuddling R&R… Or not—but anything was better than _this_!_

* * *

><p>Mikey regained consciousness slowly. "Dude," he groaned. He couldn't remember a time he'd hurt this bad—not even that time he and Raph had decided to imitate a WWF match and Raph's fat ass had landed a spectacular pile driver on his chest.<p>

Mikey felt a corner of his mouth lift. _Nothing like the memory of a cracked plastron and three broken ribs to bring a turtle joy_, he thought, opening heavy eyelids and blinking a few times. His beat-to-hell reflection stared back at him. _Damn!_ There were scorch marks on his neck, arms and plastron and a fat line of dried blood ran down the left side of his face. Frowning, Mikey turned his head slightly: it had stained his mask!

Sufficiently peeved over his ruined mask, he mumbled an irritated, "Bastards!" as he took in his limited surroundings. He appeared to be in a giant fish tank—complete with complimentary breathing holes and handcuffs.

_Kinky!_

Outside his fancy, perforated shoe box was a concrete room filled with shiny, stainless-steel lab stuff and a handful of wide-eyed scientists in white lab coats trying _not_ to gape at him. Mikey smirked at the familiarity of the situation before important plot questions started coming to mind, like: _Where am I? How long have I been here?_ Mikey grimaced, shifting uncomfortably. _And how long till I get out?_ He shook his head. _Shouldn'ta drank that last Orange Crush._

Frowning, he shifted his feet again. Or tried.

Mikey looked at his feet. His legs were shackled, too! Looking up again, he stared at his bound wrists and nearly passed out, partially because the quick movement made his head spin, but mostly because there were _TUBES sticking out of his skin_!

Starting to freak out, Mikey tried to yank himself free but his efforts only rattled his restraints.

"Mikey."

His name was spoken so softly Mikey almost didn't hear it. He turned panicked blue eyes to his left and there was Leo, in his own fish tank with all the same amenities, including the tubes.

Mikey shuddered.

Leo's head bobbed slowly on his neck, eyes dull and drowsy.

Looking past Leo, Mikey could see Donnie, head slumped forward, his chin against his plastron.

_Bastard always could sleep anywhere!_ he thought testily.

But where was Raph?

As if in response, the sharp staccato of automatic gunfire had Leo turning away and Mikey watched the scientists in the lab pause, their movements suddenly hesitant.

Mikey managed a smug smirk. _That's right, bitches! Raphie's in da house!_

He almost felt sorry for them—almost.

"Keep working," said a man in an expensive-looking suit as he entered the lab, a couple Foot soldiers trailing after him.

Mikey frowned. Damn if that dude didn't look familiar… _Wait! Was he that amnesia werewolf dude from _All My Offspring_ who was totally boinkin' his daughter?!_

The man's movements were just short of being rushed as he disconnected a narrow, glass canister filled with—Mikey swallowed—_blood_? "Continue with the extraction," said the man even as he moved toward the door again. "I want _all_ their blood."

Looking at the tubes in his arm again, Mikey fought the urge to scream when he realized the dark one was dark because it was sucking his blood!

_This is worse than that vampire apocalypse nightmare_, he thought miserably, feeling faint.

There was more gunfire and shouting, closer now.

The man in the suit was gone as quickly as he'd come, taking the canister with him but leaving his Foot cronies.

Mikey stared in dawning horror as another canister slowly started to fill.

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm bleedin' out!"<em>

_ Heart pounding and out of breath, the bloodcurdling scream had brought Mikey sliding to a stop just inside the dojo._

_Mona was lying on the floor; Leo's bloody katana was nearby._

_ Already kneeling beside her, Donnie sighed. "You're not going to bleed out."_

_ Leo and Raph crashed into him from behind and Mikey stumbled forward._

_ "What happened?" Leo asked urgently, eyeing his katana blade._

_ Raph swore._

_ "I'm _dying_!" Mona cried dramatically._

_ Shuffling through the first aid kit, Donnie shook his head, looking up as Raph and Leo knelt beside him._

_ "You're going to be fine," Leo reassured her._

_ "And then I'm going to kill you," Raph growled._

_ "Mikey!"_

_ Mikey hesitated. Bruises, broken bones, whatever! But _blood_? He shuddered._

_ "Mikey! Mikey, tell my family—except for Raph—tell 'em I love 'em."_

_ A corner of Mikey's mouth lifted despite himself. But he still didn't move any closer._

_ Donnie hummed and Leo sat back._

_Mikey couldn't see either of their faces. _What did that mean?_ he thought desperately, taking a hesitant step forward._

_ "Mikey! Mikey, there's so much _blood_!"_

_ Mikey swallowed hard and looked at Raph—who was smirking._

_ Mikey frowned._

_ "Oh, the pain! The _blood_!" She made a horrible gurgling noise._

_ Shaking his head, Leo got up._

_ Mona's eyes were closed._

_ Mikey took another slow step toward her._

_ Then Raph stuck his hand in the puddle of blood and slapped it against her cheek. Mona's eyes snapped open in fiery outrage._

_ "That's fer scarin' the crap outta me!" said Raph, licking one of his fingers. "And fer wastin' all the ketchup."_

_ Mikey promptly passed out._

* * *

><p>"Leo!"<p>

Mikey blinked, peering through his slumped reflection as Raph charged across the lab, slamming an angry fist against the glass.

_Or not glass_, Mikey amended deliriously when it didn't break.

Donnie would know what it was.

Raph hit it again and Mikey groaned. _Now I know how Shamu feels_.

"You are strong, freak."

Mikey's head lolled to the side.

It was the bastard in the awesome metal super suit.

_Really hate that guy_, he thought as Raph roared furiously and charged.

That initial contact was brutal and not in a "hurray for Raph!" kind of way. Then they were out of sight, on a lower level, Raph grunting and gasping and from the sounds of it, getting his shell kicked.

Mikey tried to muster the strength to pull at his restraints again but only managed a lame wiggle.

Then an angel appeared, hurrying toward them and pressing her hand against the super-glass of his fish tank.

Way_ better than Raph's ugly mug_, Mikey thought, managing a weak smile.

* * *

><p>Vern Fenwick was <em>way<em> out of his league here! They'd just busted through the front gate of one of the most powerful men in New York in his _company_ van! And now a robot samurai was kicking the crap out of a huge talking turtle in a loading bay below a vampire lab!

Vern shook his head, glancing at April who was shouting at a turtle wearing glasses.

_Glasses!_ he thought, shaking his head again. _What the hell does a turtle need glasses for?_

The turtle, Raphael, shouted and Vern looked down again. The samurai had him spread eagle on the ground, his metal foot pressing down on his shell. _He's gonna kill 'im_, he thought, looking around for something to help. Anything!

A new sound caught his attention and Vern turned again just as a Foot soldier barreled into view. The sound built into a furious roar and the soldier crashed into the metal samurai, sending them both careening out of sight.

_What the—?!_

* * *

><p>© Nickelodeon<p> 


	6. Ch 5: Help

**Chapter 5: Help**

_The reporter chick had come through! They found his brothers and all it had cost Raph was three hours of his life hunched over in the back of a van listening to their nerd-chauffeur ramble on about nobody-cared-what. The idiot human was expected—annoying-as-hell—but expected. The huge-ass, metal samurai had been a surprise! But now they needed to escape and with three drugged-up, loopy brothers and two useless humans, Raph figured it was up to him to get them the-hell outta there. What he didn't expect, was help._

* * *

><p>Raph groaned as he regained consciousness, his brothers barreling into him, grabbing their weapons and chattering nonsense. Shifting onto all fours, he looked up as they circled him, their movements frantic, eyes wild. And he was pretty sure Leo was mumbling about cleaning the dojo.<p>

"The hell?" he muttered with a frown. _Ten damn minutes ago they were barely conscious and now they're actin' like Mikey after he chugged that case of Red Bull!_

Raph stumbled to his feet and damn if he didn't hurt _everywhere_!

Apparently seeing him on his feet was enough because they were off, yanking him toward the loading bay exit, Mikey shouting after them to be calm.

Shaking his head, Raph looked back over his shoulder. _What the hell happened?_ he thought, thinking of the bastard in the metal suit.

Leo slid to a stop just outside, his erratic breaths visible in the cold air. Donnie and Mikey crashed into him.

The sun was setting and a dull orange light filled the courtyard, reflecting off the snow and ice. There was a semi-truck parked on their right which provided a little protection, but Raph didn't want to hang around to see how long it'd last. Hell, with their luck the damn thing was probably full of Foot soldiers! And Vern's van wasn't an option; there was no way in hell he and his brothers would all fit in that tin can!

The sound of a helicopter echoed off the stone walls around them and he looked up as it flew overhead.

Next to him, Leo was flapping his gob about needing a plan without actually making one. Donnie seemed to be rattling off math equations and mumbling about endorphins. While Mikey was in full beatbox mode, bouncing and spitting and drumming his nunchaku on his plastron.

Raph scowled at them. "What the—?"

April and Vern appeared through a door not far from the bay and Raph glowered at them. "What the hell's wrong with 'em?"

Wide-eyed, Vern looked at April, who looked guilty.

The rattle of automatic gunfire had Raph unconsciously curling his body protectively over the pair. _Damn squishy humans,_ he thought irritably.

"_I'm not _squishy_!" Mona pouted, stomping her foot._

_ Raph smirked, poking her in the belly. "Like the Pillsbury doughboy."_

Raph started. He could hear his brothers shouting in alarm beside him, feel the sharp rap of the bullets ricochet off his shell.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Raph clenched his fists in frustration. Ever since he put that damn candle in the water, memories of Mona haunted him. _Everything_ reminded him of her, of things she said or did. His crazy half-conscious brain even thought he'd heard her earlier when that metal asshole was trying to grind him into the concrete!

Shaking his head, he drew his weapons. "Stay down!" he barked, backing away.

More gunfire, but it wasn't just his brothers shouting anymore.

Turning, Raph saw a Foot soldier plow low and hard into another, grabbing his airborne comrade's gun and spraying several more with a long pull on the trigger while kicking another in the throat. Out of bullets, he hooked the gun around the neck of a third, pulling down and smashing his face into his knee before rolling over his back and ramming his feet into a fourth.

Raph blinked. "What the—?" _Now they're fightin' _each other_?!_

Following a series of quick, violent movements, the rogue Foot soldier landed in a low crouch on the frozen ground just a few feet from Raph; bodies littered the courtyard behind him.

_Damn!_

Standing, he turned his masked face to look at Vern and April. "Can you drive that truck?"

Raph blinked again. _He was a _girl_?!_

Wide-eyed, Vern jerked his head in what was apparently a nod because he followed up with a, "Y-yeah!"

Opening her hand, several keys jingled on a key ring and she tossed them over. "Move!" she snapped as another wave of Foot started to fill the courtyard, guns blazing.

Raph swore, following the rogue as she raced into the fray, his brothers not far behind them.

The woman moved fast, diving into a roll to grab a gun off the ground and firing off half a dozen shots before she was on her feet again. Raph kept a cautious eye on her. She was quick, agile and ruthless, her martial arts varied and fluid.

He didn't trust her.

The truck engine rumbled behind them, its tires crunching over the old snow.

"Raph!"

Smashing his fist into the face of another Foot soldier, Raph looked around.

Mikey was clambering onto the roof of the moving trailer as Donnie hopped into the back. Leo jumped in next as the truck lumbered toward the gate, already building speed.

Leo reached out and Raph grabbed his wrist, vaulting into the trailer with a grunt.

Donnie immediately pulled him further inside, chewing his lip and hovering over his cracked shell like a damned mother hen.

Shaking his head, Raph looked out, past Leo, to see the rogue lady still fighting.

"Come on!" Leo shouted after her.

Turning, she started toward them, moving fast, when a bullet caught her in the shoulder. Her body lurched and spun and she landed hard on her knees.

Donnie froze beside him and Leo made to jump down after her but Raph grabbed his shell.

Blood staining the snow beneath her, she looked up, Foot Clan mask still in place, and pointed a pistol in their direction.

Raph felt his eyes narrow and Leo hesitated.

That was all it took.

As the truck smashed through the wrought iron gate, the woman rolled to her feet with a furious shout, shooting several Foot soldiers before they lost sight of her behind the courtyard wall.

The world seemed to fall away, the noises around him muted and distant. The truck was still barreling away from the estate. Mikey was thundering around on the roof. There was gunfire and shouting and revving engines in the distance. But Raph could only hear the quiet trickle of dirt and debris, could only see the huge blocks of broken concrete.

Could only feel the burning knot of guilt and loss in his gut.

"_She's already gone, Raph."_

"Raph?"

Gasping, Raph blinked and there was Leo, twenty-three, not thirteen; his eyes were dilated, not bloodshot, but his expression was conflicted, that same horrible—

Clenching his jaw, Raph looked away. _What the _hell_?!_

"We got company!" Mikey called from the roof.

Leo turned.

A cloud of snow billowed around the rear of the trailer so it took a moment to see them: two SUV's and an old school hummer closing in fast.

"Damn," Raph muttered.

"Look out!"

Mikey's shout of warning was all they got before the trailer jackknifed. Cargo became projectiles and Leo flew out the back with a startled yell.

"Leo!"

Raph grunted when something smashed into his jaw; he tasted blood. He heard Donnie yelp nearby before something else plowed into his legs and he hit the floor.

Then everything went still.

Pressed against the wall in a low crouch, Raph growled. A heavy crate was leaning against his shell and a couple metal drums blocked his view.

Donnie stumbled noisily to his feet and swore.

Shoving the crate away, Raph blinked up at his little brother. Donnie didn't usually swear and certainly nothing that colorful.

Getting to his feet, Raph looked out the back—and swore.

The trailer was balanced precariously on the edge of a steep, snowy incline.

"Well damn, I forgot my skis," Mikey chirped somewhere above them.

Raph rolled his eyes. _At least the moron's alive!_

"Leo," Donnie murmured.

Leo lay several yards away, half buried in snow and not moving.

Donnie started toward the back but stopped at the sound of gunfire.

Then the truck started to slide.

"Shit!" Raph grumbled, bracing himself.

Leo was slowly sitting up, head bowed away from them.

"Leo, move!" Donnie shouted. "_Move!_"

Looking over his shoulder, Leo rolled at the last second and disappeared beneath the truck.

"Son of a bitch!" Raph muttered as the trailer jackknifed again.

Donnie groaned; he looked like he was going to be sick.

"Yee_HAW_!" cried Mikey.

The truck straightened, plowing down the mountainside, when Raph and Donnie looked up. There were five vehicles now, each with an armed Foot soldier poking through the sunroof.

Leo yelped, sliding into view on his shell and trying to avoid getting run over or shot.

"Yeah, Leo!" Mikey shouted. "Slalom, dude! Slalom!"

Raph scowled at the roof. "I'm gonna—"

The high-pitched buzz of a motorcycle engine cut him off and Raph watched as it snapped through the lower branches of a couple pine trees, flipping over the rear SUV. The rider landed deftly on the roof, quickly taking out the guy in the sunroof, while the bike hurtled into another SUV with an explosion that would've made Michael Bay proud.

Mikey whooped and Raph grinned, glancing at Donnie whose mouth was hanging open in astonishment.

Leo hollered.

One of the sunroof bastards had fired some kind of electrified harpoon, catching Leo in the shoulder.

"Guys!" Mikey called down, sounding worried.

Growling, Raph started forward but Donnie stopped him. "Allow me to be the badass for once."

Raph opened his mouth to argue but Donnie just patted him on the shoulder with an uncertain smirk before flipping out the back.

"Woo!" Mikey cheered. "Eight-point-three, Donnie!"

Raph clenched his fists, feeling restless. "Hang on, Leo," he mumbled to himself, watching Donnie slide up alongside their brother's unconscious body.

The screeching crunch of metal splintered through the air and Raph's eyes snapped over to the SUV the motorcycle rider had commandeered. It fishtailed in the snow before smashing into the side of the hummer again.

Raph's eyes narrowed; the rider was wearing a Foot mask.

_I'll be damned!_

A volley of gunshots spit up snow around Donnie and Leo slid away from him, free of the harpoon.

"All right, that's it!" cried Mikey, his footsteps loud overhead as he took a running leap off the back of the trailer. He landed hard on the SUV, yanking the Foot soldier out of the sunroof before punching a hole through the roof over the driver's side and grabbing the wheel. "Raph, look!" he shouted with a laugh as the vehicle swung around. "I'm drivin'!"

Raph's grin was dark as he took several steps back before racing forward and jumping. He curled his body, rolling through the air and crashing through the back of the SUV feet-first. Twisted metal and broken glass exploded through the interior as he made quick work of the remaining passengers.

Grinning with the rush of adrenalin, Raph pulled himself out of the confined space, swinging up onto the roof next to Mikey. But his little brother's usually carefree expression was troubled.

Looking around, Raph's heart nearly stopped when Donnie disappeared behind the front of another SUV. Before Raph could figure out how to get to him, the front end of the SUV flipped up and back and there was Donnie with his bo staff, grinning over his shoulder as the hummer swerved to avoid the upended SUV.

_Badass!_ thought Raph with a grin.

It was just the hummer left and damn if that rogue Foot soldier wasn't givin' it hell!

Raph and Mikey abandoned their SUV, sliding up beside Leo and Donnie. Leo was still unconscious.

"Come on, Leo, wake up!" cried Mikey, slapping Leo's face.

Frowning, Donnie pushed him away before looking forward. "Uh—"

"Dudes, is that what I—"

Raph looked around. "What?"

"Uh, there appears to be an incoming drop—"

"_What?_" Raph snapped impatiently. He couldn't see anything past all the snow that damn truck was blowing around!

"_A cliff!_" Leo shouted, sitting up and scaring the shit outta Raph and Donnie.

"Damn it, Leo!" Raph growled.

"We gotta get April outta there!" said Leo, unceremoniously using Raph's plastron as a stepping stool.

"Put on a few, Leo?" Raph grunted irritably. _Bastard was heavy!_

Leo shot him a look before vaulting onto the roof of the trailer.

"Oh, shit," said Mikey, bumping into Raph, his eyes focused behind them.

Raph looked uphill and swore.

The Foot soldier poking out of the sunroof of the hummer was settling a rocket launcher on his shoulder. It hissed and whistled when he pulled the trigger, shooting straight for the SUV at the same time the rogue lady crawled through the sunroof and jumped.

The SUV exploded, propelling the rogue Foot soldier violently through the air. She landed hard in the snow several yards away, her body limp as she slid down the mountainside.

Raph swore again, shifting his weight and moving in her direction.

The hummer roared, speeding up alongside the truck.

_Almost gotcha_, he thought as he reached out, fingers curling around her bicep. He pulled her onto his chest and scowled at the hummer.

Fishtailing near the front of the truck, they shot another one of those damn electric harpoons through the cab window.

"That's it," he growled, wrapping his arms around the woman, holding her tight against his plastron, before digging his feet into the snow and kicking off.

"What the—?" he heard her mutter before his momentum propelled them into a barrel roll. _Man, she better not puke!_ he thought as he shot toward the hummer, his shell slamming into the side. Metal screamed and crumpled around him, glass shattered. The woman grunted, her head snapping against his plastron, breaking her mask.

Flipping over the wreckage, Raph looked down at his passenger as his shell hit the snow again and felt his breath lodge in his throat.

The truck plowed over the edge as she sat up. Her lower jaw was visible beneath her broken mask and she chuckled, patting his plastron. "Nice!" Then she rolled off him.

Raph felt the scrape of stone against his shell. He could see the damn edge now! He used his sai to slow his momentum and was on his feet in one fluid movement.

He didn't think, didn't hesitate. He marched past Leo, who was kneeling beside an unconscious April; he ignored Donnie's hum of concern—he could _feel_ the glass in his arms from the damn hummer.

She was standing at the edge, her back to them, and Raph reached out with a shaking hand, yanking off the cap and mask.

"Hey!" Her head jerked back and she whipped around with a ready scowl.

A familiar scowl.

Raph forgot to breathe as two narrowed, silver eyes glared up at him.

* * *

><p>© Nickelodeon<p> 


	7. Ch 6: Her

**Chapter 6: Her**

_Raph still wasn't entirely convinced this was real—maybe that metal bastard had knocked a screw loose. Hell, maybe he was _dead_! But damn if it wasn't the best dream he'd had in ten years!_

* * *

><p>She was taller—<em>much<em> taller—her face was thinner, more mature, her scales lighter. But her eyes were the same, those huge silver eyes. Hell, even her irritated pout was the same!

She didn't speak, she just reached up, grabbing Raph's bandana and, with a flick of her wrist and a smirk, she tossed it over the edge.

Raph blinked, too stunned to do much more than watch the red fabric fall away from him—for a second, then—

_Son of a_—!

His brow curled down in annoyance.

"Now we're even," she said smugly, her voice rich and feminine—_not_ the same.

Raph scowled, but she didn't seem to notice… or care. She just looked him over, cocking an eye ridge. "Wow! Steroids?"

"Funny," he grunted, unamused.

She breathed a laugh and her smile softened.

"Mona?"

It was Mikey who spoke her name, his voice unusually somber.

Grinning, Mona looked away, her body shifting into a more casual stance, hip cocked to one side, arms relaxed. "Long time, no see, Mikey."

Raph heard Mikey chuckle uncertainly and then he was there, lifting her off her feet in a fierce hug. "Where you been, Pillsbury?"

Returning the embrace, Mona laughed, that same carefree laugh.

Raph felt his heart constrict in his chest, waiting to wake up. _Afraid_ to wake up.

"I _hate_ that nickname!" she scolded, whacking Mikey in the back of the head but grinning all the while.

Donnie approached slowly, eyes wider than usual behind his glasses as Mikey set her down. "Mona?" The word came out choked and quiet.

Mona smirked, shaking her head as she closed the distance between them. "Damn, Donnie," she chuckled, "you were supposed to be the _small_ one!"

Donnie snorted, pushing up his glasses and looking at his feet with a shy smile.

"Group hug!" cried Mikey, smashing Mona into Donnie and hugging them both.

"Mikey!" Donnie huffed. But he still returned the embrace, eyes pinching closed behind his glasses as he pulled them close.

A corner of Raph's mouth lifted as Mona giggled. He still wasn't entirely convinced this was real—maybe that metal bastard had knocked a screw loose. Hell, maybe he was _dead_! But damn if it wasn't the best Mona dream he'd had since—

Leo stopped beside him, his expression carefully blank.

Raph smirked, understanding completely.

"Leo!" Mikey called unnecessarily, considering the ding dong was less than six feet away. "Look who it is, dude!" He wrapped a playful arm around Mona's neck and draped the other over Donnie's shoulders.

Mona choked when he flexed with a grin and she promptly bit him.

Raph grinned as Mikey yelped, stumbling into Donnie and sending them both toppling into the snow.

Looking pleased with herself, Mona approached Leo with a smirk, but he continued to stare through her, his expression void of any emotion.

Mona's mischievous smile turned more serious and, stepping forward she reached up, placing a hand on either side of his face. The action was as familiar as it was bittersweet and Mikey and Donnie fell silent behind her.

Growing up, Mona had taken to grabbing their faces when she felt she was being ignored. At the time it had been annoying-as-hell! But now—

Raph swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and Leo shuddered, his breath rushing out in a cloud of condensed air, blue eyes suspiciously bright as he leaned down slightly to press his forehead to hers.

Mikey snorted. "Dude, _really_?" Shaking his head with a put-upon sigh, he grabbed one of Leo's arms and proceeded to maneuver them into an awkward hug.

Mona giggled all the while and even Donnie let loose an amused snort. But Leo was smiling now and Raph was just damn glad it wasn't him!

"_Way_ better!" Mikey declared when he was done.

Leo huffed in amusement before pulling her into a real hug.

"I can't believe how big you are!" Mona chuckled. "You used to be _lanky_!"

Mikey laughed. "Dude, I totally forgot about that! Lanky Leo!

Leo choked on his laugh as they separated. "Thanks for that."

Mona shrugged an unapologetic shoulder and smiled.

"Your turn, Raphie!" said Mikey from somewhere behind him.

Raph's torso jerked forward when Mikey gave his shell a solid shove and he shot his little brother a look over his shoulder.

Mikey raised his hands with a toothy grin and stepped back.

Laughing, Mona launched herself at him and Raph grunted with the impact, wrapping his arms around her in an effort to steady them. He felt the itchy black material of her jacket against his neck and the cool press of her cheek against his.

_Real!_

Raph closed his eyes, picturing that damn candle floating away from him on the Hudson, the tiny light bobbing on the water until it disappeared. He curled his body around her protectively, arms pulling her closer against his plastron, head bowing over her shoulder. He felt her arms tighten around his neck, felt her face press against his collarbone.

Heard her gasp.

Raph's eyes snapped open and he released his hold, afraid he'd hurt her. But Mona didn't let go, if anything, she held tighter.

And then he felt the warm slide of a tear against his shoulder and she hiccupped against him.

Feeling suddenly stupid and uncertain, Raph settled his hands on her shoulders and looked up. His brothers stared back at him, their expressions more emotional than Raph would have liked. _Damn it!_ And standing behind them were April and Vern, looking windblown and confused.

A part of him could relate.

In the distance, he heard the unmistakable thrum of an approaching helicopter and frowned.

Mona jerked and stepped away, wiping at her eyes with the backs of her hands.

Mikey groaned. "Now what?"

"We should find cover," said Leo, looking around.

Grateful for the interruption, Raph automatically reached for his sai.

Mona was moving along the edge, reaching into her jacket. Before they could figure out what she was doing, she'd raised a hand over her head.

_Pop!_

A flair hissed into the air above them, burning a glowing orange hole in the twilight.

_What the—?_

* * *

><p>© Nickelodeon<p> 


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